B29 Overexposed - crash site

Date of visit 09/09/2025

what3words: ///starters.spilling.pythons

Today's walk was a bit different. We don't often hike, but we had decided while in The Peaks that we would like to visit this historical site.

The B29 Overexposed was an American Superfortress aircraft, from the 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, used for military photography. The plane crashed, after descending through low cloud, on November 3rd 1948, whilst flying to Burtonwood near Warrington, with the loss of all 13 on board. The debris from the crash was spread over a large area, and much of it still lays on the moors to this day, as an historical testament and memorial to those that died.

I never cease to be amazed by the young lad we call Little One. As a non-verbal child, with little understanding of what we are doing, he is a pleasure to take out. He rarely gets upset or stressed when we go out, and in fairness to us, we normally looks for things to do that we feel he will like and enjoy.

With that said, sometimes we do things that are for us, in the hope that he will enjoy too - such was the case with this latest walk, to the crash site of the B29 Overexposed.

We started the walk by parking up at the Snake Pass summit, as per the what3words location above, and then took the Pennine Way signs for a distance, before heading for the Higher Stones trig point. The wreckage of the plane is just below the trig point.

We had found this wonderful website to use, while we were in The Peaks - Peak District Kids. We bought the downloadable version of the walk from their website, as I wasn't sure how good mobile signal would be.

The walk was relatively easy to follow, as I said earlier, this was probably our first off piste walk, as the route cannot be detailed exactly, instead sometimes having to use visual references to follow the route. We managed it without any real problems, so hopefully others will find it not too challenging to find the way!

I should probably mention here, that the general advice is to make sure you feel comfortable doing this walk and to have in mind how quickly the weather and visibility can change. We tackled the walk on a bright, clear day. There were sections where the wind picked up and areas underfoot which were quite wet, but if you come prepared this can be a good walk  - the right clothing and footwear are paramount.

We walked Little One on his wrist strap most of the way. This was partly because the ground was very uneven in places and also so I could guide him around the boggiest areas and round the largest stones in the path, and obviously keeping him away from any of the drops off the main footpaths.

I would suggest this isn't a walk that should be tackled by those with mobility issues more pronounced than those of our Little One. Once ventured out there is no way to return, other than walking back and at 6km this is a relatively long walk, for young ones!

The walk itself is over a mixture of terrain, with the boggiest areas traversed by flag stones. Much of the walking is on loose stones and small rocks, with the odd fords thrown in for good measure. At the time of our visit these were all passable without getting wet feet, with the aid of some handily placed stepping stones (rocks). A large section of the return walk was on grassed footpaths, but these were fairly easy to follow as they have been well trod during the season!

There are some wonderful views, on a clear day, like we had, and apparently you can see the skyscrapers of Manchester. To be fair, I wasn't admiring the views too much, as I was just making sure that Little One had a clear path ahead and was helping him avoid any possible hazards along the way.

The crash site itself is quite a sombre place, when it comes into view. It is very easy to forget the fact that 13 brave young men lost their lives here and get drawn in by taking pictures of the debris. To our credit, we did stop and take the time to think about the how and when of the event. A memorial plaque was laid at the spot, in 1988, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the loss of the plane and all on board.

By the very subject nature of this walk, this may not be for everybody. As described it is also for the more mobile and could be very challenging under different weather conditions to the very clear day we had. If attempting, please follow ALL necessary advice that can be found online, and here regarding conditions.